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Case Law[1998] TZHC 2010Tanzania

Maliki Saidi Mpendu vs Athuman Said Mpendu (Civil Appeal 24 of 1996) [1998] TZHC 2010 (21 December 1998)

High Court of Tanzania

Judgment

TN THE HIGH COURT OF TANZANIA A T P A R E S S A L A A M (PC) C t V T L A P P E A L NO. 7.4/1 9 9 6 ( F R O M ClVTT. A P P E A L NO. 1 3 / 9 4 O F R U F I J T D I S T R I C T C O U R T A N D O R I G I N A L C I V T L C A S E N O , 5 / 9 4 O F I K W I R I R I P R I M A R Y C O U R T ) MAI.TK7 S A T D I M P E N D U ..... A P P E L L A N T VS. A T H U M A N S A I D M P E N D U . . . . R E S P O N D E N T J U D G M E N T K A L R G E Y A , J: H a v i n g l o s t in b o t h c o u r t s below(jiri t he I k w i r i r i P r i m a r y Court; a n d R u f i j i D i s t r i c t c o u r t ) M a l i k i S a i d i M p e n d u , a p p e l l a n t , t r i e d h i s l u c k w i t h t h i s c o u r t . H i s u n s u c c e s s f u l s u i t a n d s u b s e q u e n t a p p e a l a r e b a s e d on a c l a i m for v a c a n t p o s s e s s i o n of a h o u s e w h i c h b e l o n g e d to h i s d e c e a s e d f a t h e r , a n d a l l e g e d l y b o u g h t b y h i m in 1.974 w i t h th e c o n s e n t of all t h e B s u r v i v i n g c h i l d r e n ( i n c l u d i n g h i m s e l f ) a n d 2 w i d o w s ( i n c l u d i n g h i s m o t h e r ) . T h e c e n t r e of d i s p u t e s e e m s to be a n a r r o w o n e, for, b o t h p a r t i e s a r e a g r e e d that a f t e r t h e i r f a t h e r ' s d e a t h a g e n e r a l c o n s e n s u s w a s r e a c h e d b y a ll t h e b e n e f i c i a r i e s t h a t t h e h o u s e in q u e s t i o n s h o u l d b e d i s p o s e d o f f a n d h a v e it s p r o c e e d i n g s d e f r a y d e b t s l e f t b e h i n d b y t h e d e c e a s e d a n d w h i c h i n c l u d e d u n p a i d d o w r y of s h s . 1 0 0 for o n e of th e w i d o w s . T h e c o n t r o v e r s y is c e n t r e d o n w h o b o u g h t t h e s a i d h o u s e - w h e t h e r it w a s M a l i k i S a i d i M p e n d u ( A p p e l l a n t )

o r A t h u m a n S a i d M p e n d u ( R e s p o n d e n t ) , w h o a r e b r o t h e r s . B o t h c o u r t s b e l o w c o n s i s t e n t l y h e l d f o r t h e R e s p o n d e n t . T h e m a t t e r r e v o l v e s a r o u n d t h e c r e d i b i l i t y o f w i t n e s s e s w h o a r e all c l a n m e m b e r s . O n a p p e a l to t h i s c our t a n d a f t e r r e a s s i g n m e n t to me, M r M s i r i k a l i h o l d i n g br ief f o r Cap t: . Satr/e a r g u e d for t h e R e s p o n d e n t w h i l e Mauj/go h o l d i n g b r i e f f o r M r M a g e s * c o n t i n u e d s u b m i s s i o n ' s a l r e a d y c o m m e n c e d b y t h e l a t t e r b e f o r e m y b r o t h e r , K a j i , * 7 (to w h o m t h e m a t t e r w a s o r i g i n a l l y a s s i g n e d b e f o r e g o i n g o n t r a n s f e r ) fo r t h e A p p e l l a n t , T h e A p p e l l a n t s ' a r g u m e n t s w h i c h w e r e s t r o n g l y r e s i s t e d b y t h e R e s p o n d e n t , a m o n g o t h e r s , h a v e it t h a t t h e f i r s t a p p e l l a t e c o u r t e r r e d i r i h o l d i n g I hat t lie c l a i m s o v e r t h e suit p r e m i s e s w e r e t i m e b a r r e d a n d a l s o f o r f a i l u r e to e v a l u a t e t h e e v i d e n c e . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , t h e a b o v e n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g , r e g a r d b e i n g h a d t o t h e d e f e c t a p p a r e n t o n t h e p r i m a r y court: r e c o r d t h e m e r i t s a n d d e m e r i t s c a n n o t b e d i s c u s s e d at all b y t h i s c o u r t . T h e t r i a l c o u r t v i o l a t e d R u l e 3 of t h e M a g i s t r a t e ’ s c o u r t s ( P r i m a r y C o u r t s ) ( J u d g m e n t of C o u r t ) R u l e s , 1 9 8 7 (O N 2 o f 1 9 8 4 ) . T h i s d e f e c t e s c a p e d t h e a t t e n t i o n of t h e 1s t a p p e l l a t e c o u r t ; t h e l e a r n e d c o u n s e l , a n d e v e n t h i s c o u r t w h e n t h e a p p e a l w a s b e i n g h e a r d . H a d it b e e n d i s c o v e r e d e a r l i e r , g r e a t e n e r g y a n d t i m e put: i n t o t h i s m a t t e r w o u l d h a v e b e e n s a v e d let a l o n e h a v i n g it e x p e d i t i o u s l y d i s p o s e d of.

T h e t y p e d p r o c e e d i n g s o f t h e t r i ^ i O l o s , o r f h e c a s e f r r ( h p ? f ld1 f‘ ° U r t S h O W t h e ’ ot t h e d e f e n c e t h e t r i i i • ^ s um uP the e v i d e n t to th ' * "W g i S t r a t e P r o c e e d e d ■ u^nr.e r.o t h e a s s e s s o r s , n 'O.surs ^no nlparlv ^ * i he did, y entitles what " H w . n u o * 0 k w . , K ,,s h i „ l r j „ T h i s s u m- u j i r o v n r s fruit- r , , i i , f u ] ] I y p e d o f f u l l I>*P«r, ft.r which, the ,«s.»«orB g , v , th . " l M " i / o " ijh fi n r t ,n y ' ; u A s s e s s o r s hence ( i.„ . e view reached by the c , a j „ts. ^ ,hr° W I " 9 ° Ut - ^ ~ Wlw | | | j . , ■ 1 ' ' r M l ™ > u r l in] l n w ,u] b e f o r e I h e coin ir ■ p r o c e d u

    • « c o m „ B J n t „ r o r o # o f GN N q procedure changed compute,. what # ^ " » « • « « ‘ »e t h e b e n e f i t o f t h e t r i a l c o , C U r r e n U y l s - f o r « * . bfist h 9 !)u; ; c o u r : a n d * u — - » * * t o K|i<-h i s m a n d a t o r y R“ U ^ ’ ' T h * * » < < ' r u l * . y ' P r o v i d e s a s f o l l o w s ' ( ) V h e r e J n d n y p r o c e e d i n g s t h e c o u r t hSS h6art’* U the e v i d«nc« or matters P e r t a j n i n o t o ( h e i ■ ' h M " ’ 1 0 l w ' ! « l e t n i i n B d liy « court, the m a g i s t r a t e shall p r o v e d to RO" B U U W U h " W — ~ .. . ...... he view of r e a ching a d e c i sion nf tt ’ n o f t h e c o u r t ( 2 > If all the members nr m, „ , . ° f t h e c ° u r t a g r e e on o n * 3 d s n i Q i n n i u ’1 jn t h e m a g i s t r a t e s h i l l , ^na|] p r o c e e d t o rBCOrd " " « * - * ~ i Of the c„„rt

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Discussion